"Trial by Fire?" The (Re)Use of Some Joban Metaphors in Medieval Theology and Art

In the Low Countries of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, a very particular iconography of the Biblical figure of Job emerged, namely one in which Job carries a burning fire in one of his hands. The origin and meaning of this motif is still unclear, and therefore the motif has often been overlooked or has not been correctly recognized. In this presentation, it will be shown that this iconography should be understood against the background of the early and medieval Christian commentaries and theological literature, in particular the 'Moralia in Job' by Gregory the Great. This literature creatively interpreted and (re)used some of the Joban metaphors having fire or light as source domain. This lecture will trace the long and winding journey these biblical metaphors have made through centuries of theological literature, ultimately finding their way in late-Medieval art. It will be demonstrated that in different contexts the same imagery may acquire very different meanings, which may at times be remote from the meaning they had in the original biblical text. This shows not only the creativity of the later authors reusing existing metaphors, but also the flexibility and richness of the metaphors themselves.status: publishe